Rupee opens 4 paise lower at 67.45 against US dollar

NEW DELHI: The rupee on Friday opened 4 paise lower at 67.45 against the US dollar.

The domestic unit on Thursday edged up 2 paise to end at 67.41 against the greenback on stray dollar selling by banks and exporters also supported by expectations of robust macroeconomic outcomes.

A positive trading sentiment further supported the home currency.

The rupee-dollar outright spot dealings largely remained quiet and rangebound on Thursday due to lack of market-moving factors as traders adopted caution ahead of fourth-quarter GDP and infrastructure sector data, which was released after market hours, PTI reported.

Meanwhile, the government data showed that the Indian economy grew 7.7 per cent in the January-March quarter and 6.7 per cent in the 2017-18 fiscal. Infrastructure sector recorded 4.7 per cent growth in April as against 2.6 per cent a year ago.

On the global front, US crude oil steadied on Friday after deep losses in the previous session on pressure from all-time high US production and expectations of higher Opec output, Reuters reported.

Asian equities sagged on Friday as worries about US trade policy hit global financial markets, which were already shaken this week by political turmoil in Italy, said a Reuters report.